I like to take lots and lots of numbers and turn them into proprietary concepts and multi-platform content. Three of my longstanding publishing creations: the valuations of sports teams, ranking actors and movie studios on bang for the buck (ROI) and the Forbes Fab 40 (the most valuable sports brands). My most recent idea was Names You Need To Know, which broadened my concept of list creation to include direct input from our audience. I also like to take apart corporate balance sheets to measure earnings quality and have a passion for economics (my MBA thesis at Long Island University was an empirical study on the cause of inflation in which regression analysis showed a significant correlation between the general level of prices and the money supply). Besides being an Executive Editor at Forbes I also have a gig as co-host and Managing Editor of the 3-time New York Emmy award winning Forbes SportsMoney on the YES Network and Fox Sports 1 with my buddies at YES, co-host Bob Lorenz and producer David Alfreds, both of whom have taught me a tremendous amount. I also regularly appear on Fox and CNBC to chat about the business, political and sports issues of the day. One of my favorite times is being a guest every few weeks on Larry Kudlow's radio show on WABC Saturday mornings. Larry has been a great mentor and friend. My brother in arms is Kurt Badenhausen, whom I have worked with for many years and knows more about sports numbers than anyone.

During the past few years shares of International Speedway Corporation, which owns or operates 13 race car tracks, including Daytona International Speedway, have been a loser. Over the past two years shares of ISCA have barely budged while the S&P 500 is up 15%.

ISCA makes money from tickets, luxury suites, sponsorships, concessions and television fees at its Nascar races. The company’s profits have been hammered by the bad economy and high gasoline prices (folks often drive long distances to see racing). In 2012, ISCA’s revenues decreased 3%, to $612 million, while operating income fell 21%, to $105 million.

But since Danica Patrick became the first woman to nab pole position for the Daytona 500 ISCA’s stock has jumped 2% while the overall market is down. One explanation: Patrick’s incredible ability to generate television ratings and media buzz. According to Nielsen, the 12 Nascar Nationwide Series races she participated in 2011 had 17% higher viewership than the ones she didn’t race in. In looking at pre-event Daytona 500 buzz for five big-name drivers—Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Trevor Bayne and Patrick—Patrick accounted for 11.5% of all buzz about the Daytona 500 in 2012, the highest of any of the drivers measured.

If attendance and television rating are strong this weekend for the 55th Daytona 500, ISCA’s stock will likely continue to outperform on the expectation of higher revenue. The big money will come from television. In 2007, NASCAR entered into combined 8-year agreements with Fox, ABC/ESPN, TNT and SPEED for the domestic broadcast and related rights for its three national touring series–Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck–worth a total of $4.5 billion, a 40% increase over the previous contract. ISCA’s operating income generated by these media rights were $204 million in 2012.

Last October, Nascar and Fox inked a new, eight-year $2.4 billion television deal that begins in 2014 and is 36% higher that the previous deal. Nascar’s long-term extensions with ABC/ESPN, TNT and SPEED, currently being negotiated, could get a bigger bump than anticipated if Patrick gets off to a fast start. The Nascar Sprint Cup Series remains the second highest rated regular season sport on television. Last year, Sprint Cup Series events ranked among the top two sports of the weekend on television 20 out of 36 points event weekends, with an average of 4.1 million households and 5.8 million viewers tuned into each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. Even better, Nascar has the largest percentage of female viewers.

Members of the France Family Group own and control Nascar and International Speedway, and some have been big buyers of ISCA stock recently. James C. France, Chairman of the Board, and Lesa France Kennedy, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for example, have bought stock and have been making money from Patrick’s pole position. So should you.

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FYI A multi-car accident sparked by Matt Kenseth occurred less than ten minutes into the first practice session at Daytona on Friday ahead of this week’s Sprint Unlimited. Kenseth wreck four cars? What could this be real say it isn’t so a man responsible for wrecking cars during practice no less? Oh my! Oh my!

Why is it that the media thinks DANICA is the ONLY female racer out there???.. check out the ladies of NHRA.. they have more talent, more class, & more dignity than some overpriced talentless driver that Danica is. Yes, she got the pole.. no one else was on the track.. put her with other drivers & shes a failure.. just check out the duel race (within 10 laps she was already back to # 22 of the pack and finished 17th)….. Please move on to something & someone REALLY worth covering, if she were a guy with her record there wouldnt be a word spoken or printed about him.. let alone actually have a car & a sponsor.

Floyd, I don’t doesn’t think that and am certainly aware of other female drivers. But Danica does happen to be the first woman to take the pole. My question for you is way single out a woman who gets a lot of attention when there are many male athletes whose buzz outweigh their accomplishments by a mile.

Plain and simple-Danica started out in Long Beach In 2002 and beat 4 time champ Tommy kendall and Sarah Fisher going toe to toe. It takes talent and skill to drive a car at 196 MPH and go faster than the so called cup champs and take the turns better than Jeff Gordon.